Belenguer, L., Blake, P., Darton, S., King, R., Merchant, C., Egan, I., Orr, C., 2016.

The Story in Art

Reading the Visual - artists as storytellers 'Every picture tells a story' so they say and it is this idea that sees Candida Stevens Fine Art explore the role of artist as storyteller. From the allegorical to the Shakespearean and on into the realms of concept The Story in Art presents a touching, moving, sometimes domestic, as well as humorous look at the stories of us all. Here you will find some of the ultimate human experiences told through the artists' mediums of paint, ink, pencil and clay. The exhibition has been curated to show how artists explore, interpret and tell a visual tale. From the portrayals of Ron King's classic Macbeth and Alice Kettle's large-scale tapestry Pause II, an allegory for A Dance to the Music in Time to the abstract, sculptural narratives as told through the work of Lorenzo Belenguer, Sárka Darton and Isobel Egan. See too the stories of men and women who face confinement, struggle or the domestic limitations of tradition through the probing eyes of Pippa Blake and Chitra Merchant. Then enjoy the more humorous observations of 21st century modern-life by Chris Orr RA. Belenguer, Kettle, King and Orr are all acknowledged and established in their artistic fields - many of their works are housed in our national as well as international public collections. Blake, Darton, Egan and Merchant bring their rising voices and insights. All invite you to be drawn in, comment and encourage you to pass their stories on, which is after-all is what good storytellers do. Pallant House Gallery will also be showing a triptych of large-scale paintings by Pippa Blake, in their Garden Gallery, from her work as artist in residence at Chichester Festival Theatre for the play 'Someone Who'll Watch Over Me'.